Home Is Where the Heart Is
by Ironhide'sLover97
Summary: Sarah Nicholson was an ordinary woman, living a normal life as a teacher. Before she knows it, she is thrust into the world of Middle-Earth, and the war for the One Ring. There she meets many strange people, and figures out that this world, is actually her home. Confusion, romance, completion, danger, and belonging. EomerXOC Eomer/OC Rated M just incase! EDITED!
1. Chapter 1

Sighing I made my way into my small apartment, throwing the keys on the small table just inside the door, and kicking the door shut with my foot. I blew a few strands of hair out of my face and dropped my bag that was filled with papers to grade. _I'm going to pour a big glass of wine and grade…what a _great _way to spend my Friday evening,_ I thought to myself. I grumbled as I struggled to pick up the bag and make my way to my kitchen. I set down my bags on the kitchen counter and moved to grab the bottle of wine from the fridge when I noticed a small cardboard box with a note on the top. I carefully unfolded the note that was scribbled on a yellow sheet of paper. I smiled at the familiar scrawl of my grandmother's handwriting. My eyes scanned over the note and they widened.

_Sarah,_

_We found this deep in the attic the other day and I thought that it would suit you well. I love you my dear girl._

_With all the love in my heart,_

_Gran_

I tore open the box and gently lifted a velvet drawstring bag from inside. I opened it and hear the sound of metal sliding out as I tipped it sideways. I smiled as I looked down at the beautiful pendant that slid from the bag. It was a family heirloom, and no one had seen it for many, _many_ years. I had only been told stories of it. It was a tear shaped ruby on a long silver chain. Even over the years the chain hadn't tarnished whish was surprising. I let my fingers gently brush against the ruby and smiles. Before I knew it the gem began to glow a vibrant red, and I was falling. Down, down, down.

My body collided with something hard and scratchy. I cried out in pain and clutched my shoulder. Searing pain enveloped my body and made my toes curl. When I tried to sit up, my clear blue eyes snapped open and were met with grey. The sky was a dark grey and the clouds rumbled. Just my luck, I thought to myself. There was a flash of bright light, and what I believed to be thunder. But soon I realized it was the sound of hoofs beating against the earth.

"Get up," the rider commanded gently. I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to sit. It took a few tries, but when I finally got up I was greeted by a nudge at my back. I turned and found myself staring into the soft brown eyes of a horse. His coat looked like white silk and his mane looked like water, flowing through a stream. After my examination of the horse, my eyes shifted to the rider. He was an older man, wrapped in a white cloak. He held a white wood staff in his hand. His gentle smile and kind eyes made me feel a little better than I did before. I parted my lips and opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off with a wave of a hand.

"I know where you come from, and all your questions will be answered soon," he said and looked behind me smiling. I turned to look over my shoulder and saw a man. He was dressed in darker clothing and wore a black cloak. He had dark brown hair and eyes that were the brightest blue, just like mine. He smiled at me gently from atop his dark brown horse.

"My lady you are on the plains of Rohan. You have been gravely injured and I will take you into the city. There, the healers will help you," he said and I nodded. _Where the hell am I? _I let him

help me stand and be mounted onto his horse. I clutched my shoulder and bit my lip to keep from moaning in agony. The man wrapped his dark cloak around me and I pulled closer around my body. The man gently led the horse towards a city that was atop a hill, maybe a few hundred yards in front of us. I suddenly got a dizzy feeling and leaned forward, resting my head against the great steed. Slowly, I felt my consciousness drifting away from me.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello all! Sorry about the first chapter and it's shortness! I promise from now all the chapters will be longer! Thanks for reading! Oh, and I do not own anything other than Sarah! The rest belongs to Tolkien. _

When I woke up I realized that I was laying in a bed. I barely had time to blink before the man from earlier, dressed in white, cam through the door. I tried to sit up, and was corrected by my shoulder. Sighing, I lay back on the bed and brought the comforters up, covering my bandages. The man smiled at me as he took a wooden chair from somewhere in the room and set it next to the bed. He sat far enough away that I was comfortable, but close enough for his tastes as well.

"Do not fear me young one. I am Gandalf the white. I have brought you back home," he said. My eyes widened.

"Home? This isn't my home! I'm Sarah Nicholson. My parents, oh Lord, I bet they think I'm dead! I need to go, I have to get back," I yelled and scrambled, well _tried_ at least, to get out of the bed. A pain, like fire, erupted through my arm and shoulder. I cried out in pain and fell back onto the bed, clutching my shoulder. I heard the door bust open and was immediately calmed by a soothing voice, speaking words I didn't understand. I curled up on my side and let tears lightly roll down my cheeks. The pain was becoming dull now, but she still felt as if her skin was on fire.

"Child, open your eyes," Gandalf said. I complied and opened them. I found myself staring into a pair of blue eyes, that looked exactly like mine. I frowned and realized this to be the man that had brought me back here. _He looks so familiar…..as if-_ my thoughts were cut off as an immense pain exploded behind my eyes. Before she knew it, the pain disappeared. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times. I felt the man help me sit up and I let my legs hang over the side of the bed. I glanced at Gandalf and shook my head. "This is not my home. I belong in Texas. Not….wherever this is." The man who was standing coughed gently. I glanced at him and for the first time looked at all of his features. He had shoulder length wavy brown hair, blue eyes, and a stubbly beard. He wore dark clothing and carried a sword and a dagger on his hip. Gandalf laughed, and I turned quickly to look at him with a confused look on my face.

"You were brought back here by me. Child, this is your original home, your birthplace. Rohan, though, is not. You were born a child of Gondor. A flower that was to bring color to the city of Minas Tirith. You were taken from this world, because your life was in grave danger. But now, your family needs you. Your city needs you," he said. The more he spoke the more I felt myself tense up.

"But that's impossible! I was born in San Antonio, Texas. Sure my parents told me that…oh Lord," I said and covered my mouth. I then glanced at Gandalf, blue eyes filling with tears.

"My parents said that I was found on their doorstep. I was just a few months old. I never thought anything of it, but….they said there was no note, I just…showed up," I said, tears rolling down my cheeks freely. I wiggled the ring that was on my thumb, feeling the warm metal against my skin. The comfort of it.

"Child, I sent you to another world because you were in danger, and no one could take care of you here," he said. A small flash caught my eyes and I glanced over at the other male. I glanced down at his hand and noticed a ring on his finger, almost exactly like mine, but bigger. He noticed my stare and looked down at his hand and then my hand. His blue eyes widened, as did mine.

"Gandalf, you don't mean that this is…," the man broke off, slowly making his way towards me. He knelt on the ground in front of me and smiled lightly. I felt like I knew him. Deep down I knew him from somewhere, but where?

"My Lady, I am Aragorn son of Arathorn. I am Isildur's heir, and you….you dear dear lady are," he trailed off and looked over at Gandalf. The man cloaked in white nodded and Aragorn turned back to me, placing his large hand on mine.

"You are Alisia daughter of Arathorn. You are my beloved younger sister," he said. My eyes widened and everything seemed to make sense now. I opened my mouth but no words would come out.

"We will leave you be for now, this is a great load of information for you, and you need rest," Gandalf stated. Aragorn nodded and stood, placing a kiss on my forehead and leaving the room. Gandalf smiled at me and I shook my head. This was possibly one of the, no THE strangest day of my life. Even as that thought went through my mind I lay back on the bed and drifted off to sleep, a light smile on my face.

I awoke to someone lightly nudging me. I opened my eyes and was greeted by the sight of a very lovely woman with long golden hair. She smiled at me.

"I am Eowyn. Lord Aragorn sent me to rouse you for supper. He said you would be hungry from your travels," she said and smiled brightly at me. I smiled back, happy to be in the presence of another woman for once.

"Thank you. I am Sa-I mean I'm Alisia," I said, blushing at my slip up. That was going to get some getting used to. Eowyn merely smiled at me and helped me stand from the bed.

"There is a dress for you if you'd like, but with your shoulder, I'm assuming that you'd merely like to wear a tunic," she said and smiled. I nodded lightly and let her help me slip the deep red tunic over my head, and put my arms through. She smiled brightly as I looked at her in awe.

"It barely hurt!" I exclaimed. She merely laughed and smiled.

"I'm used to helping my brother dress when he is wounded," she said, a sad smile on her face. I nodded intruiged.

"Your brother is he…," I said trailing off. She smiled again at me and helped me put on and lace up the brown boots I was given to wear.

"He was banished. Never to return," she said sadly. I frowned lightly and shook my head. I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He will return to you, I know it," I said smiling gently. She helped me out the door and hooked her arm through my uninjured one.

"You truly are Lord Aragorn's sister. You are just as caring as he," she said and I felt my smile widen.

We entered the dining hall and I looked around in amazement. It was beautifully decorated and reminded me of something you would find in an old Scottish castle back home. There was a large throne where a bearded man with blonde hair was sitting and speaking to Gandalf. He was dressed in what looked like royal clothing. He glanced over at us and smiled at Eowyn before standing.

"Welcome daughter of Arathorn. The Golden Hall welcomes you! Now, step closer and let me see you," he bellowed. Eowyn gentle pushed me foreword and I curtsied, well kind of, and watched the man frightened. He smiled at me and patted my head.

"No need to fear little one. I am Théoden King," he smiled and I felt myself relax.

The evening passed with us having supper, and Eowyn tending to two children who had escaped an attack on their village. I met the elf Legolas and the dwarf Gimli. I was also told the story of my ancestors and of the One Ring. All in all, by the end of the night my head was swimming with information.

What was I just dropped into?

_Thanks for reading! Please R&R! Love Y'all!_


	3. Chapter 3

Ch.3 Helms Deep

Before I knew it, we had left the beautiful city of Edoras. We were traveling to the fortress of Helms Deep. Théoden King granted me the opportunity to travel on a horse, which I gladly accepted. Though it was difficult mounting, I usually had Aragorn help me dismount. My shoulder wasn't hurting as much anymore, it was just a little sore and bruised. The travel through the country was fairly silent, so I took the chance to get to know Legolas and Gimli better. While riding between the two, I asked many questions, about their cultures, their lands, and their people. They gladly shared stories and bits and pieces of their cultures to me. Soon, we stopped to make camp. Aragorn was nowhere to be found, so I tried to slip off my horse. But was caught by Legolas. I smiled up at him as he set me on the ground.

"Thank you for that. I would've surely fallen," I said and he returned the smile.

"It is no problem Lady Alisia," he said and moved off to help the villagers. I smiled and turned back to the horse I was given and gently stroked his silky brown coat. His muscles twitched and he snorted. This horse was something, which had surprisingly, comforted me. When I was back on Earth, I rode horses at the local stable, but never anything this…majestic_._ He seemed to have been bred for war. Shaking my head I corrected myself. He was bred for war, and I felt slightly guilty that I was now the owner of this horse. Driago, the massive warhorse, lightly turned his head and nudged me, as if telling me he was happy either way. I smiled and moved towards Eowyn, leading Driago by his reins.

"Tie him up there, and come help me with the stew," Eowyn said smiling. I nodded and moved to tie up the horse, and made my way to help where I could. I helped an aged woman cook some stew and ration it out to the villagers. As I made my way around I saw many worn faces, many tired eyes, and straggly appearances.

That's when I realized just exactly what was happening. These women, children, and men were all being driven from their lives and their city, because of war. Yes, I've experienced war, but not up front. Anger gripped my soul and spread into the pit of my stomach. As I made my rounds, I noticed a small girl was following me. I caught a few glimpses of her as I turned and glanced over the hills at the setting sun. She had a dirt streaked face and long blonde hair that curled at the ends. She couldn't have been older than three years old. She was wearing a brown tattered dress and was barefoot. I smiled lightly to myself and set down the pot and acted like I was fixing my boot. She came closer to me and I turned quickly, lading with my legs crossed on the dirt. She had a startled look on her face but I smiled gently.

"Hello there little one. Can I help you with something?" I asked her. She looked up at me with light green eyes and I noticed she was about to cry.

"I can't find mama! They said mama and papa weren't coming back," she said. Her voice was soft and innocent but the words cut to my core. I nodded and said,

"Lets go look for mama and papa ok?" She only nodded and raised her arms up, opening and closing her hands. I smiled and picked up the small child and carried her on my hip, my arm and shoulder stinging, so I held her with my good arm. We searched and searched, and before I knew it, she was asleep on my hip, her arms loosely hanging around my neck and her head against my shoulder. I smiled and made my way back to where Aragorn was sitting around the fire with Gimli and Legolas. They all stood at my approach and noticed my little friend quickly.

"Alisia who is this?" Aragorn asked. I smiled and sat down, leaning my back against a rock. I carefully took the girl off of my hip and handed her to Aragorn.

"Hold her for a moment," I said and he mutely nodded. He took her from my grasp and held her gently in his arms. I smiled and moved towards my back on Driago, taking it off and setting near the rock. I unrolled my mat and took out the wool blanket as well. I moved back and took the girl from Aragorn, laying her gently on the mat and covering her with the blanket. She immediately snuggled into the blanket in her sleep. I sat down next to her and brushed the hair from her face. The men stared at me confused and I smiled.

"She was following me when I was feeding the villagers. I asked her if she needed something and she proceeded to tell me that she was looking for her mama and papa, and that people told her they would never return. I fear she is one of the orphans from another village that came in about a week before my arrival. The Orcs probably killed her mother and father," I said and glanced down at the sleeping child. In that moment I realized what I must do.

"No one has been taking care of her Aragorn. She was just wandering about. She's THREE for heaven's sake. I can't just let her be alone," I said and looked up to them with hard eyes, daring any one of them to go against my wishes. They merely smiled at me and nodded.

I smiled at them, letting my eyes drift shut.

When I awoke, the little girl was curled up in my lap and the blanket was wrapped around us. I smiled and shifted causing the girl to wake up. Her eyes fluttered open and she rubbed them with her fists.

"Mama?" She asked. My smile faltered but then I recovered.

"No sweetheart, it's Alisia. Come, we need to get up! Today is a big day. We should reach Helms Deep in the afternoon," I said picking her up and setting her on the rock I had been leaning against. She kicked her feet back and forth, watching me roll the mat up and put it back in my travel pack. I smiled at her and took her off the rock, wrapping the blanket tightly around her, and led her to Driago. All around us, the villagers were packing up and getting ready for the journey ahead. I panicked when the girl was taken out of my grip. Aragorn had taken the child and set her on the saddle. I smiled and thanked him, letting him help me mount behind the girl. I wrapped my cloak around her and smiled down at her.

"Little one, what is your name?" I asked her. She shook her head and looked up at me.

"I don't really remember. Mama and papa left when I was this many," she held up two fingers, and I smiled lightly.

"They never really called me by my name. Only called me child," she said and pouted. I thought for a moment before lightly kicking Driago into a trot, to catch up with Aragorn. I heard the little girl giggle and I smiled. That's it!

"Can I give you a name?" I asked her and looked down at her. She smiled up at me, green eyes bright.

"Yes! Yes please," she giggled.

"Evangeline," I said. She squealed with delight and nodded.

"E…Evangeline?" She said like a question, wondering if she pronounced it right. I nodded at her and looked back up. I felt her snuggled into me and heard her breathing even out. I glanced down and noticed her eyes shut and her mouth parted slightly. I glanced back up and whispered,

"I will protect you."

Alright y'all! So as I continue on with the story please review and I'm sorry I forgot to mention that this story will follow the movies and then the years after the movies. Thanks!


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